Smith formed The Fall in 1976 after attending a Sex Pistols gig at the Manchester Free Trade Hall in June that year. The band went on to feature over 60 different members, and released 32 studio albums. His lyrical style has been described as consisting of "grim, dark and ironic humour", and notoriously difficult to work with, he has been characterised as a "strange kind of antimatter national treasure", and an enduring cult icon.